WHILE the race to be pick one in this year’s AFL Draft is as tight as it has ever been, the current crop is littered with intriguing battles throughout the prospective order. One such marquee matchup is between the consensus best small forwards, Joe Berry and Isaac Kako.

Both prospects, out of the Murray Bushrangers and Calder Cannons respectively, have wreaked havoc in the Coates Talent League and Under 18 National Championships this season. Their liveliness and innate goal sense are shared traits, but they set themselves apart in other ways.

They can fool defenders with sharp steps, create for others, and hit the scoreboard with consistency. What’s more, both players have shown nice signs in recent midfield stints. While Kako is likely to miss the remainder of the season through injury, he and Berry are very much top 20 talents.

We put them head-to-head in the return of our Marquee Matchups series.

PLAYER PROFILES

2024 POWER RANKINGS

BERRY: June: #18 | July: #15 | August: ?
KAKO: June: #21 | July: #20 | August: ?

>> July Top 30: 2024 AFL Draft Power Rankings

2024 STATS (AVERAGES)

BERRY:

2024 Coates Talent League
11 games | 15.0 disposals, 4.0 marks, 3.5 tackles, 4.1 inside 50s, 2.4 goals

2024 AFL Under 18 National Championships
4 games | 13.3 disposals, 3.5 marks, 2.8 tackles, 2.3 inside 50s, 2.3 goals

KAKO:

2024 Coates Talent League
12 games | 18.7 disposals, 4.2 marks, 3.0 tackles, 4.0 inside 50s, 1.7 goals

2024 AFL Under 18 National Championships
4 games | 14.5 disposals, 3.0 marks, 1.3 tackles, 3.3 inside 50s, 1.8 goals

BEST GAMES

BERRY:

2024 Coates Talent League Round 16
Murray Bushrangers 11.11 (77) def. Sandringham Dragons 9.5 (59)

Stats: 22 disposals, 7 marks, 5 tackles, 10 inside 50s, 1 goal

Our scouts said…

“Berry continued his midfield venture on Saturday and ran rampant with several electric spurts out of the contest. He was untouchable at times, leaning on his sharp turn of speed to take ground and launch the ball inside 50. Berry’s creativity and skill execution were at their best with several score involvements in the final quarter, as every attacking entry seemed to go through him. He also bagged the sealing goal with a clever one-on-one win, and put forward his overhead marking as a handy point of difference.” – Michael Alvaro

KAKO:

2024 Coates Talent League Round 8
Calder Cannons 13.13 (91) def. Suns Academy 10.5 (65)

Stats: 29 disposals, 6 marks, 4 tackles, 12 inside 50s, 3 goals

Our scouts said…

“Kako once again started up forward where he continued his strong leading as a hit-up target, providing a dangerous option before moving into the midfield where his explosiveness from the centre contest was on display. Having a total of 12 inside 50s, Kako more often than not damaged the opposition with his delivery and it started with an excellent pass to hit up Patrick Said for the first goal. He showed excellent vision, movement and composure, and his goals from long range in the wet were excellent.” – Adrian Dixon

HEAD-TO-HEAD

2024 Under 18 National Championships
Vic Metro 12.13 (85) def. Vic Country 13.6 (84)

BERRY (Country): 14 disposals, 2 marks, 5 tackles, 2 inside 50s, 3 goals
KAKO (Metro): 12 disposals, 3 marks, 1 tackle, 3 inside 50s, 3 goals

2024 Coates Talent League Round 9
Murray Bushrangers 9.7 (61) def. Calder Cannons 8.12 (60)

BERRY (Murray): 11 disposals, 8 marks, 1 tackle, 4 inside 50s, 3 goals
KAKO (Calder): 16 disposals, 4 marks, 2 inside 50s, 1 goal, 5 behinds

The two players have gone one for one this year in their head-to-head battles. The final margin of either game – a single point either way – reflects the evenness of the matchup and neither player disappointed in the games in question. They had an impact, particularly in the National Championships decider.

Kako’s Metro got up on the representative stage, with he and Berry both booting three goals. Berry was the catalyst for Vic Country’s second half spurt and enjoyed midfield minutes, while Kako supported key man Harry Armstrong in keeping Metro in the game with clinical finishing up forward.

The Calder product’s kicking boots were left at home when he took on Murray at Coates Talent League level, though. He tried everything to split the big sticks but ended with 1.5, including a couple of chances to win the game late. Meanwhile, Berry had less ball but he and the Bushies were sharper in front of goal.

STRENGTHS

BERRY:

+ Clean hands
+ Goal sense
+ Scoreboard impact
+ Work rate

Berry has the agility and smarts any small forward should, but sets himself apart with terrific work rate and running ability. He can venture up the ground as a high forward or cause headaches closer to goal, highlighting his versatility. What’s more, his ability to provide a spark in midfield is invaluable.

Berry’s dynamism as an attacking threat is compounded by his clean hands both at ground level and overhead. He will swoop on anything that hits the deck and manufacture shots on goal, but also has the scoring avenue of marking strongly on the lead or sitting on heads for a speccy.

Perhaps the attribute which is most noticeable from week to week is Berry’s consistency, particularly in the way of scoreboard impact. He kicked the equal-most goals at the National Championships and leads the way in the Coates Talent League with 26 in 11 games.

He has gone goalless just once with multiple majors in seven outings, and a high of four on four seperate occasions. Berry’s conversion rate – whether over the mark or in open play – is also terrific. With his 26 goals comes 15 behinds, proving the goalsneak kicks truly more often than not.

KAKO:

+ Agility
+ Creativity
+ Goal sense
+ X-factor

While Berry is a figure of consistency from week to week, Kako plays with great freedom and provides a similar spark, but arguably more spasmodically. His creative flair screams X-factor, and he can manufacture plays others simply don’t see – either to score or set up teammates.

He is quite at home inside 50 but has similar versatility in the sense that he plays the high forward role well. Kako is a lively extra at the contest and connects the play going forward, while being capable of pinch-hitting in midfield. Like Berry, he can also jump and play above his size when marking.

The area which Kako has been improving on is his defensive pressure. While his tackle numbers don’t jump off the page, he has been utilising his speed to shut down opponents more regularly and is becoming a selfless teammate. It only makes him all the more dangerous.

That goes for his work close to goal too, proving more willing to bring others into the game rather than going alone. Perhaps a turning point was his patch between Rounds 9-10 where he registered 1.9 and took on some low-percentage shots. He has been more himself in that regard lately.

VERDICT

This draft crop, arguably more than any before it, is really a pick-your-poison type of intake. The Berry-Kako comparison highlights that, with both possessing elite traits in their position with scope to play a variety of roles or impact in several different ways.

Berry’s consistent body of work has been terrific this year, hitting the scoreboard more regularly than anyone. He is far from rigid though, capable of providing spurts of energy up the ground – even in midfield when required – and proving clinical from all angles in front of goal.

Kako is similarly productive inside 50 and while his peaks and troughs are steeper, his upside is evident. He will be the type of player who can turn games on their head and his sheer energy makes him a joy to watch. That’s not to mention a deep bag of tricks both athletically and with ball in hand.

As far as ranking them goes, some clubs have Kako in the 8-12 range for his mercurial habits, while others will place him deeper in the top 20. Berry, who has featured higher in our Power Rankings, is widely considered a top 15 player, also.

Being a member of Essendon’s Next Generation Academy means Kako will essentially be unavailable to all other clubs. So, does that mean the 17 teams work to keep the Bombers accountable with a high bid, or will they instead back the available player – Berry – who will be in high demand?

Splitting them on current talent and future potential is just about as close to a coin flip as it gets, and changes from week to week. The placement of either player in our next Power Rankings instalment will be a watch, so stay tuned for when that drops on August 26.